Auburn Shutout By No. 2 Florida, 6-0

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Auburn Shutout By No. 2 Florida, 6-0

Florida’s Hudson Randall threw a complete game three-hitter as the Auburn baseball team was shutout by No. 2 Florida, 6-0, on Thursday night. The loss dropped Auburn’s record to 29-25, 12-16 SEC while Florida improved to 39-15, 17-11 SEC.

“He (Randall) was outstanding. We didn’t get many good looks. We didn’t square up many balls,” Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “You get behind like that, it makes it tough. I am just thankful for the job Jay Wade did. He was able to save our bullpen tonight.”

Florida jumped out to a 5-0 lead as Auburn starter Jon Luke Jacobs (5-3) managed to record just four outs on the night. Florida scored once in the first after loading the bases with none out when Daniel Pigott hit a sacrifice fly to score a run. Then after Randall (7-1) faced just three hitters in the bottom half of the frame, Florida busted out for four more runs in the top of the second, capped by Preston Tucker’s 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot to right that made it a five-run game and ended Jacobs’ night.

Wade came in behind Jacobs and kept Auburn in the game. The sophomore had three 1-2-3 innings and went a career-long 6 1/3 innings allowing one run, it came in the fourth on a Mike Zunino sac fly, and striking out three.

Handed the five-run cushion, Randall faced the minimum number of Auburn hitters through four innings before Justin Bryant reached on an error to start the fifth. The one hit he did allow was a Creede Simpson first-inning single but he was thrown out by Zunino trying to steal second.

Auburn’s fifth started out promising but Savage grounded into a fielder’s choice to erase Bryant. Dan Glevenyak then singled up the middle to put two on but Blake Austin grounded into an inning-ending double play to thwart the threat, negating the only time Auburn would have a runner in scoring position all night.

Auburn’s only other base runners came in the sixth as Jay Gonzalez drew a two-out walk and in the eighth when Bobby Andrews collected a two-out single.

The top two in Florida’s lineup, Nolan Fontana and Tucker, were both 3-for-4, combining to score four of Florida’s six runs.

Chase Williamson recorded the final four outs for Auburn.

Auburn’s three hits were its fewest in a nine-inning game since a 4-1 loss at Mississippi State on May 4, 2007.

Auburn will try and even the series at 6pm on Friday. LHP Daniel Koger (3-4, 2.76 ERA) gets the start for Auburn while LHP Brian Johnson (5-4, 4.29 ERA) toes the rubber for Florida.